I just called Nissan about a replacement battery because my 2011 Nissan leaf is down to 8 bars and I only get about 35 miles on a charge. I was informed that the battery replacement cost is now $7000 plus labor and taxes (up from $5499). This means replacement costs are around $8500. This change occurred a couple months ago. I expressed my displeasure that as battery pack costs continue to drop, Nissan has actually raised their pack pricing.

Wanted to warn everyone out there that this change occurred. This makes it significantly more expensive to repair your used Nissan Leaf, so plan accordingly. It doesn't look like Nissan has any plans to lower pack pricing as manufacturing costs drop.

Also, they said the refurbished battery program in Japan likely won't be coming to the US anytime soon due to EPA regulations.

Well...that stinks. Maybe this will be more incentive for third party operators to get into the game. I'm actually somewhat relieved the refurbished batteries aren't allowed by EPA regs here. I have a 2017 S and I'm relying on a new battery within the 8 year warranty if it drops too far, too fast.

I am very disappointed to hear this as I have been planning all along to buy a replacement battery once my 2012 LEAF doesn't meet my driving needs. So far it still meets 95% of my driving needs as a two bar loser. I was hoping to make my LEAF last a good 15 years. That seems to now be doubtful and I am very disappointed.

I had previously considered a replacement battery to be a very viable option, especially since I haven't lost a bar yet and was figuring it wouldn't need it for about another 5 years. By then, I figured battery prices would be lower. With that, it seems very viable for this to be a 15+ year keeper.

Nissan - This is not the way to keep your early adopters happy. We do have some influence in the marketplace with consumers. You really should care and try to keep us happy.

Any possibility of buying these batteries direct from Nissan's supplier? Probably not individually but an aftermarket vendor might be able to swing a deal and buy a bunch? Or do the batteries have proprietary electronic codes such that the car will not function with non-Nissan supplied batteries?

Lothsahn wrote:I just called Nissan about a replacement battery because my 2011 Nissan leaf is down to 8 bars and I only get about 35 miles on a charge. I was informed that the battery replacement cost is now $7000 plus labor and taxes (up from $5499). This means replacement costs are around $8500. This change occurred a couple months ago. I expressed my displeasure that as battery pack costs continue to drop, Nissan has actually raised their pack pricing.

Did you call Nissan corporate (e.g. their EV help line) or a dealer for this price?

Lothsahn wrote:I just called Nissan about a replacement battery because my 2011 Nissan leaf is down to 8 bars and I only get about 35 miles on a charge. I was informed that the battery replacement cost is now $7000 plus labor and taxes (up from $5499). This means replacement costs are around $8500. This change occurred a couple months ago. I expressed my displeasure that as battery pack costs continue to drop, Nissan has actually raised their pack pricing.

Did you call Nissan corporate (e.g. their EV help line) or a dealer for this price?

The call was with Nissan corporate (specifically their EV help line, not the normal Nissan USA line). The information was provided by a rep from Nissan corporate. I have not yet sought a case review for a discount, which, when I'm ready to do the battery replacement, I will likely do. For now, 8 bars still meets the majority of my driving needs, and I likely won't have to replace the battery until it falls below around 5 bars.

I may also seek to have a 3rd party replace the battery, as there are a few on the forums here that do so. That said, it's not straightforward, it's with Junkyard parts, it's not covered by a warranty, and a dealer still has to agree to program the battery as the car will only do 25 MPH with an unrecognized battery. So, not easy.

Likely they are trying to move from their old battery design going forward. Consider how costly it will be to warranty packs if they go to a new design, it's not like they can make a bunch of extras and store them. If they had a design that they could continue to use going forward it would make sense to sell replacements, if they go to TMS this will be an issue. Going forward it will make more sense to buy a new car based on the present landscape.

EVDRIVER wrote:Likely they are trying to move from their old battery design going forward. Consider how costly it will be to warranty packs if they go to a new design, it's not like they can make a bunch of extras and store them. If they had a design that they could continue to use going forward it would make sense to sell replacements, if they go to TMS this will be an issue. Going forward it will make more sense to buy a new car based on the present landscape.

The last 24 kWh LEAFs were sold in 2016, so they have to provide warranty packs at least into 2021. Consumer bought packs appear to be only a very small fraction of the total Nissan will deliver.